As 2024 drew to a close, so did our yearlong celebration of The Duke Endowment’s centennial. At special events in communities across North Carolina and South Carolina, we showcased and saluted the wonderful work of grantees past and present. 

It truly was a special year, one that filled our Board of Trustees and staff with a renewed sense of purpose. But even as we celebrated and reflected on 100 years of work, we took the opportunity to ask ourselves what comes next for us as the Endowment enters its second century. 

With that in mind, we announced in December our intent to invest $5 billion in grants across the Carolinas during the next 15 years. The amount matches the total we disbursed over the course of our entire first century, and, assuming stable market conditions and returns, it represents an acceleration of our normal giving. 

The Endowment would not be able to take this bold step into the future without the solid foundation laid for us by our founder, James B. Duke. 

When he created the Endowment in 1924, Mr. Duke identified four areas of grantmaking that remain remarkably relevant today: health care, higher education, child and family well-being and rural United Methodist churches. He charged his Trustees with oversight responsibility and he expected each of them to be fully engaged in the work of the Endowment. To that end, he gave the Trustees “uncontrolled discretion” to adjust to meet changing times and needs. 

As we thought about next steps, we considered using that discretion to address new areas of concern or to issue new types of grants. In the end, however, the answer was always right in front of us, in the four grantmaking areas Mr. Duke so wisely chose all those years ago. We decided that accelerating our grantmaking — providing the Carolinas with more resources, faster — would be the best and most appropriate way to launch into the Endowment’s next 100 years. 

Our grantmaking teams will continue to have intentional and purposeful conversations with our grantees, other foundations and funders, and our friends and partners in government, to ensure our grants are as focused and impactful as possible. 

I am excited about what lies ahead, and I am honored to work with my fellow Trustees and our remarkable staff to help chart the Endowment’s course for its second century of work.

Charles C. Lucas III,
Board Chair
The Duke Endowment